Agenda item

A report was presented on a retrospective application for the change of use of land and existing building from light industrial (Class B1) to a mixed use for light industrial (Class B1) and storage and distribution (Class B8) uses and the recycling of non-hazardous waste plastics together with the erection of a warehouse building for the storage and distribution of materials associated with the uses at Unit 1, Station Yard Factory, Station Road, Rufford.

The Committee considered the report at their last meeting on 2 September 2015 and resolved to defer consideration of the application pending a site visit.

The Committee visited the site on Monday 12 October 2015.

The report included the views of West Lancashire Borough Council, Rufford Parish Council, the Environment Agency, Network Rail, Lancashire County Council's (LCC) Developer Support (Highways), the LCC Lead Local Flood Authority, the LCC Specialist Adviser (Landscaping), the Canal and River Trust and details of one letter of representation received. The views of County Councillor Dereli were also received.

The report also included details of the presentations made at the last meeting of the committee, a response to the issues raised in the presentations and additional information from the applicant.

The Development Management Officer presented a PowerPoint presentation which included an aerial view of the site and the nearest residential properties together with photographs of the site and access road.

It was reported that a resident of Station Road had submitted a series of photographs showing the highway impacts of the development. These photographs had been circulated by email to members of the Committee. An email from the same resident was circulated at the meeting.

It was also reported that an additional condition was proposed as follows:

8.  Within one month of the date of this permission, the entirety of the HGV turning area shown on the 'Proposed HGV turning area and parking layout' plan shall be surfaced in tarmacadam, concrete or other hard surfacing materials.

Reason : In the interests of highways safety and to conform with Policy DM2 of the Joint Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan and Policies GN3 and EC2 of the West Lancashire Local Plan.

County Councillor Dereli, the local member for the area addressed the committee.  Councillor Dereli reiterated the concerns raised in the report with regard to surface and foul water drainage issues and drew attention to the comments of Network Rail on page 22 of the report.  She also questioned whether the expansion of the site would lead to an increase in traffic and whether the site could accommodate such without impacting on the highway. It was felt that careful management of the site was important.

In response to the concerns raised by Councillor Dereli, the officer advised that there was capacity within the site to accommodate more than one HGV and that conditions were in place to ensure that the turning area for HGV's was available for use at all times.

In response to questions raised by the Committee, the Officer advised that it was not considered necessary to impose a condition to regulate the number of vehicles accessing the site. However, in order to address concerns raised in respect of possible pollution risks, an additional condition was proposed.

The additional condition is set out below:

11.   Any chemical, oil or fuel storage containers on the site shall be sited on an impervious surface with bund walls; the bunded areas shall be capable of containing 110% of the container or containers' total volume and shall enclose within their curtilage all fill and draw pipes, vents, gauges and sight glasses.  There must be no drain through the bund floor or walls.  Double skinned tanks may be used as an alternative only when the design and construction has been approved, in writing, by the County Planning Authority.

Reason:  To safeguard local watercourses and drainages and avoid the pollution of any watercourse or groundwater resource or adjacent land and to conform with policy DM2 of the Lancashire Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

Following further debate and questions to the officer it was:

Resolved: That planning permission be Granted subject to the conditions set out in the report to the committee and the additional conditions as set out above.